Photo Of The Day: Norwegian Coast Guard personnel aboard the icebreaker KV Svalbard executed a small arms training exercise (GUNEX) in the Barents Sea in mid-June, qualifying with both the Glock 17 P80 sidearm and the HK416N rifles in the harsh Arctic environment. The photographs capture crew members conducting live fire with the Norwegian standard-issue firearms, one component of comprehensive readiness training conducted regularly aboard the vessel as it patrols the remote waters north of mainland Norway and the Svalbard archipelago. The Svalbard, delivered to the Coast Guard in 2002, displaces 6,375 tonnes and serves as a genuine double-acting icebreaker capable of operations through one meter of solid ice. Armed with a Bofors 57-millimeter gun and capable of carrying two helicopters, the vessel functions as a multifunction platform for sovereignty enforcement, fisheries inspection, search and rescue, and environmental protection across one of the world's most demanding maritime zones. Her crew must maintain sharp proficiency across both mounted weaponry and individual small arms to execute the full spectrum of Coast Guard missions. The Glock 17 has served as the standard sidearm across the Norwegian military for over four decades. After joint trials with Sweden between 1983 and 1985, Norway adopted the platform as the P80, selecting it for reliability in extreme cold and the harsh salt-spray environment of Arctic operations. Both countries seem happy with the choice, as they’ve kept them in service ever since. Both weapon systems require regular qualification to maintain crew readiness in an operating area where response times and isolation make training cycles infrequent and mission-critical.Photo: Magnus J. Horne / Norwegian Defense - Forsvaret